Inflammation is the way our body responds to stimulus and is a normal part of the healing process. We can usually tell a part of our body is inflamed when it is red, hot, swollen and we can’t move it properly. Think of a stubbed toe or a sprained ankle.
Inflammation is present in all ‘itis’ conditions, such as arthritis, bronchitis, bursitis and many others. Inflammation can also occur inside our body in a much more silent way, where we don’t even know it is happening and chronic inflammation can lead to more serious health problems.
5 Signs of Chronic Inflammation
1 // Aches and pains
Aches and pains could be a sign of general inflammation, such as cold coming on, or it could be a sign of something more serious. It is however, the most common symptom of inflammation.
2 // Fatigue
Fatigue is a classic indicator that there’s too much inflammation in the body.
Medical researchers have known for some time now that low-level inflammation over time is harmful and is connected to diabetes, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses. Newer evidence also links chronic inflammation to chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, and general fatigue. In fact, there has been an explosion in recent knowledge of the pathways and mechanisms by which inflammation levels can influence your body, brain, and even your behaviour, leading to fatigue.
3 // Being overweight
Researchers know that being overweight and inflammation go hand in hand. Obesity and chronic inflammation are linked to other diseases like diabetes, heart disease, certain cancers and Alzheimers disease.
Inflammation has been shown to precede the development of diabetes and obesity. Elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines predict future weight gain, and infusion of inflammatory cytokines into healthy, normal weight mice causes insulin resistance.
4 // Hot, red or itchy skin
Heat, redness and itchy skin can be a sign of inflammation particularly in skin conditions, infections and allergic reactions.
5 // A diagnosed autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakes its own tissues as foreign and mounts an inappropriate attack on the body. Overblown inflammation is a common thread in these chronic conditions. Examples include multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
6 // Allergies or infections
The presence of allergies or infections could be a sign of inflammation. Although some allergic inflammation is a good way our body responds to fighting off an allergic reaction to something, it can be life threatening and needs to be monitored.
How to reduce chronic inflammation?
- Whole Foods — Eat a whole foods, high-fibre, plant-based diet, which is inherently anti-inflammatory. That means choosing unprocessed, unrefined, whole, fresh, real foods, not those full of sugar and trans fats and low in powerful anti-inflammatory plant chemicals called phytonutrients.
- Healthy Fats — Give yourself an oil change by eating healthy monounsaturated fats in olive oil, nuts and avocados, and getting more omega-3 fats from small fish like sardines, herring, sable, and wild salmon.
- Regular Exercise — Mounting evidence tells us that regular exercise reduces inflammation. It also improves immune function, strengthens your cardiovascular systems, corrects and prevents insulin resistance, and is key for improving your mood and erasing the effects of stress. In fact, regular exercise is one among a small handful of lifestyle changes that correlates with improved health in virtually ALL of the scientific literature. So get moving already!
- Relax — Learn how to engage your vagus nerve by actively relaxing. This powerful nerve relaxes your whole body and lowers inflammation when you practice yoga or meditation, breathe deeply, or even take a warm aromatherapy bath.
- Avoid intolerances — If you have food intolerances, find out what you’re allergic to and get stop eating those foods—gluten and dairy are two common culprits.
- Heal Your Gut — Take probiotics to help your digestion and improve the balance of healthy bacteria in your gut, which reduces inflammation.
- Supplement — Take a multivitamin/multi-mineral supplement, fish oil, and vitamin D, all of which help reduce inflammation. [1]